King’s Academy College Park (Junior)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

School leaders have high expectations for all pupils and staff.

Pupils speak very positively about their school. They live by the school's values each day by showing independence and kindness to one another. Pupils have confidence in the trusted adults in school.

There is a culture of positive behaviour, and the school is generally calm. Pupils develop keen interest, curiosity and enjoyment in their learning. Breaktimes are active, social and fun.

Pupils receive a good-quality education. The school has ensured that there is now a clearly sequenced curriculum in place in all subjects. Pupils enjoy their learning.

They know they are learning more valua...ble knowledge and skills than before.

The school carefully considers the needs of its pupils when designing its offer for personal development. Pupils have numerous opportunities to be part of the wider leadership team of the school.

Pupils take great pride in making a difference to the school by being 'inclusion ambassadors', 'international ambassadors' or part of the 'communications team'. They talk positively about the range of extra-curricular activities such as creative writing, football and chess. They appreciate the school trips and being part of the community through fundraising or donating to food banks.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has faced some significant challenges with staff changes since the last inspection, including leadership roles. The school has accurately evaluated the quality of education and responded very effectively to a decline in pupils' results at the end of Year 6. The impact of this work is bringing about clear improvements in the quality of education that pupils receive across the curriculum.

The school has revitalised its reading and writing curriculums. The school promotes a love of reading. Staff quickly identify any pupils who continue to require early reading support.

Staff provide these pupils with appropriate help so they learn to read fluently. These pupils practise reading books that match the sounds and words that they know. Generally, pupils continue to build their reading fluency and comprehension well throughout the school.

The school has raised its expectations for what pupils can achieve in writing. There is a greater focus on specific grammar and punctuation knowledge. Staff provide pupils with more opportunities to develop their writing fluency.

However, sometimes pupils are given tasks that are either too easy or too hard for them. As a result, some pupils do not develop their writing to the standard they could.

In all other subjects, staff implement the curriculum well.

Pupils learn securely in mathematics. Their knowledge is growing well in the full range of wider curriculum subjects. While the school has made necessary changes to the curriculum in order to improve it, some gaps remain in pupils' knowledge because the previous curriculum was not as effective.

At times, in some subjects, teachers' checks on pupils' learning are not fully effective in identifying these gaps so they can be addressed.The school provides effective additional support for pupils who need it. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those who need additional help to meet the school's high expectations for behaviour.

The needs of all of these pupils are identified well. Staff consider the best ways forward to make school life as successful as possible for all pupils. Staff provide pupils with the right support.

Pupils attend school regularly. Where absence becomes a concern, the school works closely and effectively with families to improve attendance.

Pupils' wider development is strong.

They know the positive differences they can make to the world around them. They respect and celebrate people from different backgrounds to their own. They learn how to maintain healthy relationships with others and how to keep safe when online.

The school has tackled the challenges it has faced since the last inspection head-on. Staff feel well supported. Governors and trustees bring a range of useful experience to their roles.

They maintain a good oversight of the school's work and performance. They identify strengths and development areas and provide appropriate support and challenge to improve the school further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not develop their writing skills as well as they could. The tasks they are given are sometimes too easy or too hard. The school should further develop the expertise of staff to consistently implement the new approach to the teaching of writing and maintain a sharp focus on developing pupils' writing skills.

• In some subjects, teachers have not identified and filled gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly enough. Consequently, some pupils are not secure in what they can remember in these subjects. The school should ensure that the new curriculum is implemented effectively across all subjects so pupils learn the important knowledge the school intends.

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